life's choices
by orange.tictacs
Summary: Three long years after her return. Chihiro has nearly given up any hope of seeing Haku again. What will happen to them when faced with the hardest choice of all? My first fanfic. PLEEEEEEEZE R&R!rated T for later bad language
1. Chapter 1

**Well...hi everyone!**

**This is my first fanfic so PLEEEEEEEEESE R&R and dont be too mean**

**I couldn't draw this hols and I was sick in bed for three days. I was REALLY bored and this sorta just came to me.**

**I've written at least 4 chapters already but im not gonna put anymore up unless I get at least 1 reveiw so...**

**On with the story!**

**oh right...disclamer sheepish grin**

**I do not own Spirited Away, any other anime that may/may not appear in this fanfic, OR Arisu's name...BUT i do own her character. Happy?**

1.

Chihiro glanced upwards.

thunderclouds…

it was going to be a miserable day.

'I guess I should be excited' she mused. But the first day of school always put her in a bad mood.

"CHIHIRO!"

'oh damn… now ill be late for school as well' she thought, starting out of her daydream.

"coming mum!" she cried as she launched herself off her bed and down the stairs.

...xXx...

At the front gate she took a deep breath. She knew her mum was waiting behind her but she wasn't going to look back, not until she had passed the gate. At the steps to the school she paused, glanced over her shoulder, and waved before the tide of kids swept her inside.

As she was searching for her locker she heard a scream, but before she had time to register the familiar noise, she was squashed against the lockers by a group of 4 people. About 10 seconds later the pile-up was joined by two more, and people had started to actually step around them, laughing pityingly at the hand scrabbling for something to whack the rest with. A loud thump reverberated around the hall, causing quite a few snickers, as Chihiro emerged with a large dictionary clutched in her hands.

"Jeez guys its not like I haven't seen you since last year!" Chihiro huffed.

"well actually I haven't seen any of you since I went to America so I have an excuse" said Rumi smugly.

"well you didn't have to bury me alive" Chihiro snapped back.

"AWW c'mon you aren't even going to ask me how many guys I met in America?" said Rumi in mock-hurt.

"OMG! HowmanyguysdidyoumeetinAmerica???!!!!" cried Arisu, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"lots but I'm not giving YOU any of their numbers" snubbed Rumi playfully.

"AWWW" Arisu pouted.

Chihiro sighed. Today was going to be a long day.

Dominating most of the conversation, Rumi basked in the attention after being away for nearly 3 months, but as she noticed the other girls' increasingly black moods she decided that it would be best to share some of her spotlight

"So Kira, how was YOUR holidays?" she said cutting off Arisu mid-sentence.

"OI!" squealed Arisu indignantly "I was talking!"

"Arisu let someone ELSE talk for a change" she sighed.

Arisu poked her tongue out.

Kira said quietly "well…my grandmother died…we went back to Australia for her funeral…"

"NO WAY!" Chihiro blanched.

"awwwwwwwwwwwww you poor thing!!!" everyone cried as Kira disappeared under the mountain of hugs.

"keh…girls I'm alright!" came a muffled voice. "she's had cancer for years and I guess its more of a relief that she's finally at peace more than anything"

"oh but Kira…she was still your grandma" sniffed Emiko, tears beginning in her eyes (she was really sensitive to emotions, you could tell how someone was feeling by the way Emiko acted)

"yeah…I know…" sighed Kira

"so…did anything else happen on the holidays?" she asked in an attempt to lighten the grey cloud which had settled over the group.

"OOOH I went to Disneyland!" cried Myomi, the mood lifting as soon as it came.

"oh AWSOME!" was the general reply and Myomi launched into a long story of how she was nearly decapitated by a roller-coaster and then got lost several times.

...xXx...

Well…today was better than I thought it would be" thought Chihiro as she trudged through the muggy afternoon on her way to the bus stop.

At the glass structure there was a poster for the latest anime movie. An adaptation of an English novel which she had bought but never had the time to read. She promised herself she would read it before she saw it though… she and Hiromi had heaps of fun comparing books to films and identifying things that the movies left out.

The storm broke as soon as she flopped down on her bed. It was soothing, listening to the rain patter on her balcony.

She picked up the book off her bedside table and thumbed through it. 'Maybe later' she thought to herself, placing it on her pillow.

Chihiro hummed to herself as she made her way down the stairs to the kitchen. Searching through the fridge until she picked up a spiced dumpling.

'how long has it been since I've had a dumpling?' She thought as the spices danced away with her.

Two years? Three years? There had been dumplings at Christmas but she hadn't had the nerve to take one.

'Why was that?' she mused

…Oh…

...xXx...

"Chihiro?" the word cut through her dream like lightning.

"Chihiro…?"

"go away" she mumbled

"Chihiro!"

"huh?" she spluttered into wakefulness.

Something peeled off her cheek

"ew Chihiro! Those dumplings were for your dad's homecoming on Wednesday!"

"sorry mum" Chihiro said as she wiped dumpling goo off her cheek with her sleeve.

"aw don't wipe it on your sleeve, I've gotta wash it with bleach now!"

"sorry mum" she turned to leave when she felt a hand on her shoulder

"Chihiro? Are you alright…? You look so pale! Have you been crying?"

"no…no I'm fine mum, just tired" she faked a yawn

"that busy huh?"

"yeah…yeah you could say that"

"well I'll call you for dinner?"

"kay…"

...xXx...

Once back in her room Chihiro bolted the door and wiped the rest of the dumpling goo off her cheek with a tissue, leaving a horrible sticky feeling.

'Oh well…at least the uniform's white' she thought looking at the brown smudge on the cuff. She was sure there was a brown smudge on her cheek as well but she didn't really care right now.

Chihiro stepped out onto her balcony and was drenched within seconds. How long had it been since she had cried herself to sleep? Not since she had found out she was moving across the country surely…

She shivered.

No…since he had snapped at her in the elevator…she had sobbed bitterly all night. Sometimes awake…others asleep…mostly hovering in the half-world between consciousness and dreams.

Scared to sleep to find it all a dream, but scared to stay awake in the dark of an unfamiliar world.

No…she had to stop…

But it was already too late. The rain had washed her tear-stained cheeks but the knew that the rain had passed long ago…

But the drops hitting her upturned hands still came. If anything more ferociously than before.

'why?!!' the question came again and again, ripping through any attempt she had to calm herself.

'why Haku…why?!!'

"you promised…"

...xXx...

**Well i DO hope you liked my story...if it needs any improvemens pls tell me!**

**  
hugs Mo  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**_'Ello people_**

**_i_**'**_ve been sick the last couple of days and i decided that i would fill out the first few chapters a bit before updating another one. :P_**

**_anyway here is the new and IMPROVED second chapter, i hope you all like it :D_**

**_i dont own spirited away or any of the characters associated with the movie. like DUH _**

* * *

2.

Her heart heavy, she opened her eyes to the early morning.

She was so hungry…Her clothes and hair steamed as the sun peered down through the trees, nearly blinding her foggy eyes. Joints aching she pulled herself up from the concrete.

'Idiot! You should at least have gone inside!' she scolded herself, peering around at the world bathed in the young morning's light.

She wrenched open the glass door, pushing aside the blue curtain and slowly made her way across the room to her four-poster bed. Falling face first onto the soft green duvet she lay there momentarily, before rolling onto her side to check the time on her alarm clock. 6:30 am…well at least she wasn't going to be late for school today.

xXx

Yuko woke up to the sound of running water and the bathroom radio

'Strange…I didn't think it was possible for Chihiro to get up earlier than 7:30…'

Slowly rising and disentangling herself from the warm duvet she stretched then padded her way across the carpet, shivering as her feet came into contact with the cold floorboards of the hallway, and knocked on the bathroom door. Receiving no reply she placed her ear to the warm wood.

"Chihiro are you alright?"

"hey mum" Chihiro said, yawning as she opened the door. Making her mum start and take a step back.

Yuko observed her daughter, dripping wet she stood with a flannel dressing gown clutched around her and dark rings under her eyes, half concealed by her dripping hair.

Chihiro sneezed and swayed, putting a hand to her head.

"Oh dear you look terrible! Did you leave the door open to the wind last night?" Yuko's worry went immediately into overdrive.

"I…I fell asleep on the balcony" said Chihiro blearily.

"oh my god Chihiro! I'm taking you to the doctor!"

"I just need to sleep mum… I'll be fine"

no…she couldn't stay home…there would be no distractions to keep her from thinking about…

"no Chihiro I'm taking you to the doctor you could end up with pneumonia!"

"but mum! I…I cant stay home…"

"Oh darling… I know it's the second day and everything but I cant let you got to school like this!"

Chihiro sneezed and swayed again, Yuko caught her.

"see?"

"kay" Chihiro gave in.

xXx

Yuko picked up her daughter at 11 and began the half-hour drive to the next town.

She could see Chihiro had been crying again.

"Chihiro…" she began "is there something you wish to tell me?"

Chihiro blanched… fresh tears sprang to her eyes. Yuko placed the yellow tissue box on her lap.

"mum…" she said in barely more than a whisper, she took a deep breath.

"have you ever loved someone and you're not sure the even remember you?"

Yuko remained silent, but placed a palm on her daughters' quivering hand.

"have you ever loved someone so much, it tore you apart to be away from them?"

Chihiro's voice was gaining volume.

"Have you ever cried yourself to sleep in the rain, remembering every little thing they did or said?"

"Do you ever wonder if he wasn't just a figment of your imagination, whether someone so wonderful could ever exist?"

Chihiro faltered.

The world flicked past in a haze of green and grey, shadowed countryside slowly giving way to smaller, more cultivated fields and townhouses.

Yuko squeezed her daughters hand an looked at her with tears brimming in her eyes. Her thoughts chased themselves around her mind, coming half-formed and leaving the same way, swirling around her head like so many bees.

"Chihiro…what a young lady you've become" was all she could manage to say, she was so happy for her daughter.

A petrol station flew past.

"dear…I have never wondered those things…if anything that was your father, but I can give you some advice. Whoever this lucky boy is, I'm sure he feels the same way, if he doesn't approach you soon, go and talk to him yourself. Many a heartbreak was caused because both people were too scared to let their true feelings show."

Chihiro tried to speak, but Yuko stopped her.

"talk to him as soon as you get back to school, tell him how you feel, or get Emiko to tell him, she's so good at conveying feelings"

"MUM" interrupted Chihiro "he doesn't go to my school…"

"oh ok then…" she faltered "well…call him or send him a letter or…"

"I cant. He doesn't have an address or telephone number, and I doubt he will get a message in a bottle, I've already tried."

"erm…alright…" Yuko looked strangely at her daughter, hoping she didn't have a fever, her thoughts buzzed again, if this was true then she was starting to become worried about her daughters welfare. "umm…where does he live sweetie?" she ventured, hoping against her fears.

"in another world" came the whisper…then space went black.

xXx

The tunnel took about three minutes to get through…what with all the traffic, screaming horns and flashing lights adding to the blaring silence within the little blue car.

Yuko had remained silent, trying to process what her daughter had said.

Finally her brain gave up.

"Pardon Chihiro?" she said making the girl jump.

"-sigh-…it doesn't matter, it's just he made a promise to me…that he would see me again…I just hoped it would be sooner than this…" she finished with a sob.

They were silent for a long time, each wrapped in thoughts and memories.

"so…this boy…does he come from one of your stories?" she regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth."

"mum!" Chihiro gasped, bursting into the tears that had threatened to take her over for the last twenty minutes "oh mum…of all people! I had hope you would believe me…"

"I'm sorry sweetie…its just that.."

Chihiro bawled harder. Then paused, her brow furrowing between convulsions.

"n…no mum" she hiccuped "I understand…I probably dreamed him up anyway…"

Then she remembered his hand on her shoulder, the touch of his hand, the wind through his hair…No, She had not dreamed him up. He was as real as the wind , the rain and the sky, as real as the tissue box currently being pulverised under her shaking hands, the earth beneath her feet was no more real than he was. She had not dreamed him up.

"no" she whispered "No" the word cut through the air, short, loud, sharp as a razor blade.

"No mum. I did not dream him up"

xXx

Yuko peered down at her sleeping daughter. Her face was so

That no had been so certain, so full of conviction, that you couldn't help believing her. It had been hard, yes, but it would have torn her apart to believe Chihiro was going insane. She was 14 after all, too old to be inventing invisible friends. At her daughters request she would talk to her husband about it, but she did not know where she would start…

"_hey darling? Chihiro is in love…with a boy form another world_"

she would have to think for some time before she could even get HER head around it…

xXx

Haku wavered, did he really know what he was doing?

He glanced at the maroon hair tie, its broken ends slowly unravelling, the knot pulled so tight even he couldn't break it. Caught in the knot, was a single hair.

He clenched his hand, and looked up into the darkness in front of him. The wind seemed to tug at his spirit, gently blowing him away.

'_don't come in…go…far away'_ it seemed to whisper _'no…go back…'_

Yes, he was sure. He had to find her, even if it took the rest of his life, he would find her…

He stared ahead, resolute, defying the wind. It sighed and slowed its assault. Now it was a mere whisper, but still he could feel it wishing him far away.

"Haku?" he could feel Zeniba's questioning gaze on the back of his neck.

He whipped around, he had forgotten her presence.

"I'm ready" he said, with a conviction that was rougher than he meant it to be.

"ok Haku…please hold that tight now, don't let it go until you have passed out of the tunnel, no one knows if you will be able to return…" Zeniba looked at him curiously, not wanting to sound concerned, but he had said that a little too loudly for even her to miss the quaver in his voice.

"I don't care about coming back. I'm not stopping until I see her with my own eyes"

"strong words boy. You're no longer a spirit remember?"

Haku's face hardened. He turned to face the doorway once again.

"yes"

"ok well…good luck!" said Zeniba quietly "take care, her world may be devoid of active spirits, but it is still far more dangerous than even I know…"

"goodbye Zeniba, thankyou for your assistance" he had retreated into himself again, she wouldn't be able to help him now.

"never forget who you are Haku, you are still not a normal human"

"thankyou I will remember" and he stepped through the door, cool air rushing past his face.

xXx

Zeniba watched him leave, a look of concern on her face however much she had tried to hide it before. This was the first time in her life that she didn't know what would happen, it scared her, the feeling of helplessness as the boy walked into the unknown, herself being incapable to assist him. After his fight with Yubaba the boy had been left powerless and nearly dead, saved only by Boh's influence over his mother. When she had found him, he was wandering, half alive, with only one word on his lips…Chihiro.

Zeniba sighed. She could only be an observer from now on. She had tried to convince him that going to the human world was not a rational idea…but the boy would hear nothing of it. He did not seem fazed that no one had ever attempted to enter the human portal before, merely stating that if he died, it wouldn't be without seeing her again.

Dragons were strange creatures…life would never be the same for miss Ogino once Haku had found her, but life had a funny habit of surprising you when you least expected it…maybe this was for the better…

"You called me Zeniba?" a green clad woman approached the witch.

"ahhh…Miko…I have a favour to ask of you"

xXx

The next day Chihiro woke to the earthy rumble of thunder.

"awww…not again" she moaned, rolling out of bed.

Thankfully the doctor's prescribed antibiotics had done their job, she wasn't sure she could face her mother again, not after yesterday…As she drew the soft brush through her unruly hair she hummed a half-remembered tune and began wondering why she was in such a good mood. Thunderstorms (they had been having a lot of unseasonable weather ever since they moved) usually put her in a less-than-happy mood but today…today was different, somehow, she felt that this would be a rather larger bump on the road of her life than the dreary and colourless days that had composed her life ever since she had returned.

She supposed that it was because she had finally told someone about Haku, even if that someone had decided to ship her off to the loony bin, she was still glad that she had gotten it off her chest.

The wind howled as she trudged down the road, red umbrella grasped tight against the driving rain.

'stupid rain' she thought sullenly, her good mood had evaporated as soon as she had stepped out of her house into the misery of the world outside.

'it should at least be sunny, if this day is gonna turn out even half-decent. Damn stupid thunder, stupid lightning, stupid wind, stupid rain' she struck up a beat, mud and water flying from her stomping shoes.

She was so busy with her song and making as much mud as possible, that she ran right into someone at the bus stop.

* * *

**_So...did u all like it???_**

**_i hope it made sense :D_**

**_anyway i HOPE u all reveiw or i shall be forced to postpone the posting of any new chapters untill i am ENTIRELY satisfied with the 4 i've already put up, now no-one wants that do they??_**

**_thought not_**

**_xXx to everyone_**

**_mo_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**hey everyone **_

_**my friend bugged me to put the next chappie up sooner than later so here i am **_

_**i do hope this makes sense as its friday night and im not sure if i really should be doing this right now...but oh well**_

_**anyways i hope you all like this next chappie**_

_**disclamer: i do not, will not, and never have owned spirited away or any of the associated characters, i dont own Arisu's name either, just her character, and i dont own that Mr Whippy van, however much i would like to.**_

3.

Three years…all across Japan.

Three…years. Barely eating, barely sleeping…

'_Chihiro! Where are you?'_

'Chihiro…where could you be?…'

The bus stop loomed closer in the half-light, the rain that barely touches him obscuring its edges. He tried to reach out with his heart. She had drawn him this far…hopefully close enough to find her soon.

Nothing…

It was taking all his self-control to not tear across the sky looking for her, to not scream her name to the wind, let it carry his pain and frustration away.

'That hadn't worked remember?' he scolded himself. It would do no good at all to be caught by the police again.

He reached out and touched the pole. Three _years. _Such a long time…and yet…it had seemed like no time at all. But…what if she had forgotten? He didn't know what he would do if she had lost her memories of him… Probably either go completely insane or do everything humanly, and inhumanly, possible to help her remember.

But what if she hadn't felt the same way? What if all she had thought of him as was a good friend?

_Pure love…_

The words haunted him, like mist on the highest mountain, ever present, even when you couldn't see it.

Pure lo...THUMP! Haku saw stars, they laughed mischievously at him, then all went dark.

"_Ha…ku…" _the voice called. It swirled through his head, making coloured ripples in the dark.

"_Haku! Wake up!" _He liked he voice, it was so full of compassion, so full of life.

Light flooded his consciousness, the world felt alien, thoughts distorted, making the darkness heave and buckle under the waves of silence and oblivion.

"_Hey…what's going on?" _a new voice joined the swirls of colour, this one not so gentle.

"_Something you wouldn't recognise. It's called love…" _the last word hung in the air like the fog that enveloped his senses in a shroud of swirling music. It refused to budge, not that he wanted it to…

Sunlight streamed through his eyelids, causing them to water, slowly pulling him into reality.

'sigh…that dream again' he wasn't even sure that it was real, as Lin certainly wasn't in the boiler room when he had awoken. But…he couldn't help but hope…

He opened his eyes, the sky was a deep azure blue, clouds scudding through the air like giant mounds fairy floss. His arms were wrapped around something. Looking down he saw a tangled mess of sopping brown string that obscured over half his vision.

'odd…' he thought

A large expanse of red rolled into view. He blew, away it went. There it is! On the other side now…

He shifted, something was digging into his back, and froze.

xXx

'_what happened to my spell? Only love can break it…'_

Her head hurt. Her knee hurt. Heck her whole body hurt! But she was laying on the most fantastically soft thing she had ever felt. She gripped her hand on the material in her palm. The weave felt familiar…it was softer than silk and gave off the most glorious heat…

She felt something move beside her. 'probably mum come to wrench me out of my perfect dream' she thought. She suddenly became very aware of every drop of water laced through her hair, every living thing that surrounded her, and the sky was nearly devoid of cloud…

_Pure love_…it echoed around her head like some half-forgotten verse.

Suddenly a red umbrella rolled into her line of vision…'wait…HUH?!!'

'WHAT'S MY UMBRELLA DOING IN MY DREAM?!!'

'dancing mushrooms maybe…but my _umbrella_??'

Then she remembered…THUMP!...well whatever she had hit was soft at least, so it couldn't have been a tree or a lamp-post or she would have a larger lump on her head than she already had…

She remembered seeing a figure, but she had been to focused on her stupid song for it to register before it was too late, she must have been pacing at a faster rate than she realised…

"Where did the rain go?" Chihiro mused, not realising she had said it out loud. 'The sky is so blue now…' Suddenly her cushion tensed.

'odd…' she thought 'judging by the sun its about midday…' The bus wouldn't have stopped for her…the next vehicle that comes down this road would probably be the bus coming back to drop her off at 4:30… "oh well" she whispered,not really caring as long as she could keep laying here on this most glorious softness.

'now, speaking of which, this cushion, it needs to be taught that is should NOT move and become all uncomfortable when I am using it!'

THUMP! She hit it…hard.

It groaned and shifted. She finally gathered her scattered senses when she found herself with a face full of dirt.

'wait…this _can't_ be a dream'

xXx

Haku started and looked down. Whatever it was that was squashing him had spoke…

"oofh…what the…?" It had hit him!!!

'ok I'm moving, I don't care how comfortable I am, I cant put up with this…'

he pushed himself stiffly to his feet, the red circle-thingy obscuring his view of whatever had been squashing him, not that he cared very much. It had delayed him considerably and he would probably have to cut his search of the town shorter than he would like, to be able to meet his contact in the next village on time.

He began walking away, but a he gathered speed he heard a female voice that pulled him up mid-stride.

"wait…"

Chihiro looked up, wiping mud and dirt from her face.

Blue…white…green…the colours waved in an intricate dance around her vision .She blinked

oh…she had hit a person.

"wait! Please wait!" the figure paused and turned, his bright green eyes catching hers, boring deep into her soul.

'no…i…I fell over and hit my head…he…no he…c…be…not _here_…'

xXx

He knew that voice… it was the one he had been longing to hear for the last three years…but why _here?_

He whipped around. There she was, her beautiful brown eyes wide with shock and confusion. Suddenly her body went limp, eyes rolling backwards, brown ponytail mingling with the mud…

Haku picked her up, she was so beautiful, three years had certainly changed her from the frightened and gangly 11 year old he had last seen picking her way down a grassy slope, out of his life for the next three years…

He placed her down on the bench, sitting on the edge, and brushed a stray hair off her face.

He was jolted back into the present by a violent ringing noise. Haku had learned enough about her world to recognise a mobile phone, even if it was covered in mud and grass clippings.

He picked it up and pressed the flashing blue button.

"Hello? Chihiro where are you?" a panicked voice came out of the tiny speaker.

"Chihiro? Are you alright? Chihiro!" a woman's voice.

"Hello?" came a cautious reply. Chihiro's mother blanched.

"Hey! Who are you? Where's Chihiro??!!" Yuko demanded. The school had called her asking why Chihiro did not attend homeroom yet again, and Yuko had panicked, knowing she walked to the bus on a little-used road, and could've been lying in a ditch somewhere, hurt, unconscious or, even worse, kidnapped.

"its ok, my name is Haku, Chihiro knocked us both unconscious, she just fainted again"

'thank god she's alright…'

"where is she?" Yuko was so relieved to find her only daughter safe, even if she didn't know the boy, she liked his voice, and she didn't normally trust people very easily.

he looked around, noting the bright orange sign plastered on the side of the shelter. "we're at a bus stop"

"the bus stop?"

"yeah…she ran into me and knocked us both unconscious, I only just woke up"

xXx

Haku…it sounded so familiar…

'don't be silly Yuko' She shook her head.

'where could you have heard it? Millions of places.'

As the car sped over the crest of a hill she saw a lone figure standing in the midday sun.

'oh I do hope she's alright…'

The boy smiled as Yuko launched herself out of the car, barely pausing to turn the engine off.

"it's alright Yuko, she's safe…" She didn't even register that he had spoken.

xXx

Chihiro opened her eyes.

_His face…_

'nope…still dreaming' she told herself, closing them again.

"Chihiro?"

Her eyes snapped open.

"Haku…" now she knew she was dreaming

His eyes sparkled

"you're awake"

'_no I'm not…if I was awake Haku, you wouldn't be here' _

"Haku…why didn't you come sooner? I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me…" she might as well believe he was there, it was the only time she got to talk to him, to hear his voice, touch his skin, see his face, smell the mixture of wild roses, thunder and mountain air he took with him wherever he went.

"Chihiro…I could never forget about you"

She looked up at him, saw the sincerity plastered across his face, and fell in love with him all over again.

_You know those moments when you do something on the spur-of-the-moment, and when you look back you wish you had done it differently?_

_Well if I had that moment over again I would have kissed him there and then, but as I was really in no condition to think of something like that at that time…I just threw my arms around him and bawled my heart out_.

xXx

* * *

_**well...its not a cliffy, but i couldnt bring myself to spoil later events **_

_**so you'll just have to bear with me, even though it may be a satisfactory ending for some, its not the end. it hasnt even begun!!**_

_**what hardships will befall the young lovers? even the simplest things will have to be altered and rethought.**_

_**ok enough or ill give the whole story away **_

_**LOVE YOU ALL!!!!**_

_**yes i changed my name but i am her who was formerly known as 111mo111 (the explanation is in my profile) and who shall be known from here on as HAPPY LITTLE VEGEMITE!!!!!**_

_**oh...my...god...i have had WAY too much sugar...i am not normally like this i assure you...**_

_**mabey ill be quiet and let you all be relieved of my insanity.**_

_**GOODNIGHT -waves-**_


	4. Chapter 4

4.

"Mum can he stay PLEASE?" Chihiro pleaded for the 10th time.

It was evening now, she had slept for most of the afternoon.

"Look Chihiro, I know you feel obliged to him because you knocked him out for four hours but he's a complete stranger, and anyway he looks like he's off to a party, dressed up the way he is…" said Yuko, chopping up parsley for their dinner.

"Mum…he…he hasn't got anywhere to go…" Chihiro looked pleadingly at the back of her mothers head, feeling incredibly awkward.

"what do you mean sweetie?" asked Yuko, not pausing in her work. Now stirring a large pot, the spicy steam billowing around her.

"well…remember that boy I was talking about?"

"you mean yesterday?" though Yuko already knew the answer.

"yes…" Chihiro gulped, the spices in the thick air making her eyes sting and water.

"what about him?" Yuko stopped stirring the pot.

"well…I…this…this is gonna sound really strange but" she took a deep breath, clenching her fists. she might aswell just get it over with.

"he made a promise to me…right before I left…that we would see each other again…I j…just didn't t…think it would take him three years to find me…"

It's needless to say that Yuko, extremely confused, lay awake even hours after Chihiro had gone to bed.

xXx

The bustle at the airport was actually quite frightening. There were people everywhere.

Yuko was worried she might lose them in the crowd, but her fear was short-lived.

Even if they had become separated from her Chihiro was holding Haku's hand so tight she knew that no harm could have befallen either of them. In the 24 hours she had known him Haku had proved himself over and over again to be the most polite, caring and mysteriously likeable boy she had ever met. The thing that captured her attention the most was his eyes, the most astonishing collection of ever-changing greens, they gave you a sense of infinite sadness, joy and agelessness. Which greatly puzzled her, seeing as he was barely older than Chihiro…

She was wrenched out of her daydream by a hand clutching her forearm. Glancing around in confusion she was steered through the crowded terminal.

"those men were gonna try and steal your purse" came her daughter's voice, a steely tone that she had rarely heard before marring the usually light sound.

"Huh? How did you know?"

"Haku told me" chihiros grip loosened as they reached the other side of the room.

Yuko glanced back to where they were standing moments before. Indeed there was a group of shifty looking characters staring after them with incredulous looks on their faces.

'but…how did he know?' she thought, this boy was truly puzzling.

Suddenly an automated voice cut through the racket of the thousands of people crowding the building.

"_flight 367 from London has landed"_

A cheer went up from a large group of children accompanied by two harried looking women, one clad in green and white, the other in orange and yellow. Cries of "Daddy!" or, to everyone's amusement, "Uncle Fluffy!" could be heard echoing around the terminal.

Yuko smiled, 3 weeks was way too long to be away from someone you loved.

She glanced over to Chihiro.

Now she knew why they were afraid to let each other go…

xXx

"DADDY!" Mr Ogino had barely enough time to register his daughter's ecstatic face before he was nearly bowled over by the 14 year old.

"oofh! Sweetie you're not six anymore" he said, trying desperately not to laugh.

"welcome home darling" said Yuko, placing a light kiss on his cheek

"Daddy" Chihiro said, close to his ear. "I've got someone I want you to meet"

He glanced questioningly at Yuko, she just smiled back, her eyes full of hope and apprehension.

"Who?" he asked quietly as Chihiro darted off into the crowd.

Yuko just shook her head and said "I've never met a sweeter boy"

His blood ran cold.

xXx

Slowly Chihiro approached them.

"Daddy?"

Mr Ogino started and looked up from the newspaper.

"Daddy…this is Kohaku"

He stood up stiffly.

Haku bowed deeply, truth be told he was scared nearly hysterical, but nothing would cause him to reveal that to anyone.

"good day Mr Ogino sir"

Chihiro and her mum watched apprehensively as Mr Ogino surveyed the boy before him. He had liked Kohaku from the moment he saw him, but he was having fun watching them hanging off his every movement. After a few moments of indecision he decided that Chihiro was going to explode if he was silent any longer, and even Haku had started to shake slightly.

So what did he do?

He started laughing of course.

Yuko nearly keeled over sideways. Chihiro was left gaping like a fish, staring in complete and utter disbelief at her father. and poor Haku had his arm nearly shaken out of its socket.

"Well well well, I don't think I've ever heard someone call me 'sir' outside a restaurant" M Ogino joked, trying desperately not to start laughing again.

The suspenseful atmosphere evaporated immediately, and he was nearly bowled over for the second time that day, now by both his daughter and his wife.

"Thankyou dad" Chihiro whispered into his ear, her voice cracking.

"oh sweetheart, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters."

xXx

"Now Chihiro, don't be silly, you're going to have to go to bed early tonight, you still have to go to school tomorrow"

Chihiro looked up in disbelief at her mother, who was holding out her newly ironed uniform. "What! But mum!…what about Haku?"

"He's going with you" Yuko said, throwing it on the chair when Chihiro didn't take it

Chihiro's eyes glazed over and she stared at nothing in particular in the direction of the window, then looking up suddenly her eyebrows knitted into a frown.

"oh Chihiro! Don't look at me like that! You can't expect him to stay here all day!" Yuko was growing impatient.

"but he's…never been to a school before!"

"well he's gonna have to sooner or later" she turned to leave, her heels squeaking on the floorboards.

"Chihiro…Mrs Ogino…I will be fine" came Haku's voice, making them both jump guiltily

"but Haku"

"Its ok" he cut Chihiro off as he came around the corner, no sound had alerted them to his presence, although the floorboards were notoriously loud in the hall.

"I'm sure it cant be any worse than anything I've already been through" he stated, a hard note creeping into his voice.

Yuko looked at him questioningly, but his face didn't reflect any of the emotion his voicehad been previously layered with, he was too busy trying not to laugh at the comical expression on Chihiro's face.

Chihiro suddenly looked as if she was about to cry. She took a step towards him.

Haku's eyebrows furrowed as she collapsed into his arms.

"Chihiro…"

Sobs wracked her body.

"I…I still c…cant believe you're really here!" she tightened her grip on the front of his shirt, the material soft between her fingers.

Neither noticed as Yuko backed silently out of the room, a small smile playing across her face.

xXx

"RUMI! I am FINE!" Chihiro bellowed down the mouthpiece for the millionth time.

"…but I've been trying to call you for AGES!"

"sigh…Rumi…will you listen to me?!"

"but chi you haven't said…"

"RUMI!"

"WHAT!?"

"I was really sick on Tuesday and my dad came home from England today"

"so…what about Wednesday?" Rumi was annoyed because Chihiro hadn't given her a straight answer all night.

"well…you'll see tomorrow" Chihiro's voice faltered.

"…"

"Rumi?"

"but why cant you tell me NOW!?"

Rumi's whine was getting hard to bear.

"look, it's a little hard to explain right now"

"but chi!"

"no Rumi" Chihiro cut her off "I'll te…no I'll _show_ you tomorrow"

"-sigh- fine…" Rumi twirled the cord between her fingers, glaring at the black dial. tossing up wether to hang up or not.

"Rumi…" came her friends voice, pleading

"what."

"I…I just ran into someone I've missed for a long…long time"

"Really! Who?!" 'YES she was_ finally_ getting answers!"

"look Rumi I'll tell you tomorrow"

"awww man!" just when she thought she would finally get an answer.

"goodnight Rumi"

"-sigh-…night chi" she was so gonna pay for this tomorrow.

"RUMI! ENOUGH WITH THE CHI!"

"sure chi" Chihiro could just imagine her friend's mischievious grin

"grrrrr 'night Rumi"

_beep. beep._

She placed the receiver down and poked her tongue at it.

'stupidrumi' she thought. she cared about her friend immensely, but she could get a _little_ hard to deal with at the best of times.

"so chi…"

She jumped violently, knocking the magazines off the coffee table as she whirled around to meet Haku's amused jade eyes.

"y…you were listening?"

"for most of it…yes"

"eep." Chihiro felt the blush rising in her cheeks.

"your friend sure talks a lot doesn't she?"

"well yes, especially around Arisu" she flustered

"who?" he gave her a confused look.

"oh…I haven't told you about my friends yet have I?"

He shook his head, hair flopping into his eyes. _He looked sooo cute!..._

It struck her how little he would know about her world, even though he had been here nearly three years, but they didn't really count…because all he had really been doing was looking for her…

She suddenly felt incredibly guilty as she realised exactly how much he had sacrificed, to come looking for her, to give up everything he knew…

"Chihiro?"

oops…she had spaced out again.

"oh sorry" looking anywhere but him, she knew her cheeks must be a beautiful shade of crimson. "where was I?" she bluffed, trying to get her thoughts back into some form of order.

"ummm…your friends?"

"oh. right" she gave him a sheepish grin. Where would she start?

xXx

"so…Arisu's the really short one with the frizzy dark brown hair?"

They were perched on the edge of Chihiro's bed, the pile of multicoloured photo frames balanced carefully on her knees.

"yep and Emiko?"

"she's the one who is really sensitive to emotions?"

"uhuh" he sure caught on fast. She studied his face. It was puckered into a half-frown, he was so _cute_ when he was concentrating!

"and she has black hair?"

"well, its darker than anyone else's" she shook herself mentally out of her trance 'don't be an idiot chihiro!' she scolded herself.

"ok…and Rumi…she's the one who likes to call you chi?" a mischievious grin growing in his eyes, his teeth flashing like pearl as he smiled at her.

Chihiro wrinkled her nose at him, trying desperately not to burst out laughing.

"CHIHIRO! I TOLD YOU TO GO TO BED BEFORE 10!" Yuko's penetrating bellow echoed around the room, making them both jump violently.

"oops…SORRY MUM! I'M JUST SHOWING HAKU WHO EVERYONE IS" she shouted back, gathering up the scattered frames, thankfully none of them had broken.

"CHIHIRO!" her father's voice had a dangerous edge to it.

"eep…OK MUM, NIGHT DAD!" she had pushed it too far, for it was 10:30 already…

"goodnight sweetheart" came their exasperated voices.

"we better go to sleep, my parents will kill me, goodnight Haku" she smiled at him, their eyes meeting for a long moment.

"goodnight Chihiro" said Haku quietly, and placed a kiss on her cheek before making his way downstairs to the guest room, his bare feet making absolutely no noise on the polished wood. His face an unreadable mask of contorting emotions.

Meanwhile, Chihiro sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the closed door. She lifted her fingertips to the small patch of tingling skin, her mind had gone completely blank.

She didn't sleep for hours.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey guys, sorry for the lengthy waiting period...um...there really is no excuse, but it is better than waiting an entire YEAR before updating again .> not looking at anybody...**_

anyway heres the chapter im sure youve all given up on ages ago -sheepish grin-

_**i wouldnt be surprised if i never get another reveiw as punishment for my utter neglect and shoddy time keeping skills**_

_**but here it is, whether anyone reads it or not :P**_

_**i do not own spirited away, as you can see...i am not a billionaire...yet -muahaha- **_

* * *

5.

"CHIHIRO! WAKE UP! You're going to be LATE!" came the panicked bellow, echoing through the house, piercing the sweet oblivion of dreams, tearing her back into the world once more.

"aww man!" Chihiro moaned as she dragged herself out of the warm cave of her bed, onto the frigid floor, and made her slow way to the door, stumbling on the ragged edges of her mat. She collided with Haku on the landing as she tripped down the stairs.

"oofh…sorry Chihiro" Haku rubbed his forehead where Chihiro's shoulder had made its painfull welcome.

"no that's alright" she said breathlessly staring up into the perfect green eyes which had been the subject of her recently vacated, perfect dream.

Haku helped her up and she had stumbled halfway down the stairs again before a thought struck her , completely out of the blue.

"Haku" she said, whirling around, balancing herself against the baby-blue wall.

He paused and turned, his hand poised on the door handle.

"you're…you're not wearing that today are you?"

He glanced down at his old uniform and raised and eyebrow at her.

"why…not?" his question was a mixture of incredulity and quiet suspicion.

"erm…well…its just that…no one wears that sorta stuff anymore…"

his look lightened and he smiled "…and I care because?"

"er…well I care because I don't want everyone thinking you're a freak…"

Haku blinked and gaped at her. That had caught him completely off guard.

'oh crap'… "that didn't come out right" chihiro said miserably.

'you IDIOT' she screamed at herself angrily, how the hell was he gonna stay anywhere near her if she stepped all over him like that??!

"well what else am I supposed to wear?" a hurt edge to his voice.

"ummm…" she couldn't bear to look him in the eye, to see the expression on his face, so instead stared intensely at the stair in front of her, wishing it would swallow her up.

Yuko chuckled as she descended the stairs.

"its ok Chihiro, your cousins left half their junk here when they came to stay last Christmas" she flourished a dusty basket full of boys gear.

"I'm sure we'll find something to fit you in here Haku, at least until we get you some clothes of your own."

Haku was taken aback.

Humans were so strange…

Some wouldn't give a loaf of bread to a starving child, yet others would give that same child a banquet for them and all their friends, and not expect anything in return.

"Mrs Ogino…" he said weakly " you…you don't have to"

"Oh Haku! Don't be silly! Its no use to any of us and their boys would have outgrown all of this stuff long ago" Yuko was having fun.

"Chihiro go and get in that shower, at this rate you're never gonna get to school! Just leave us to find something for Haku to wear."

"Chihiro was reluctant to leave Haku at the mercy of her mother, but if she wasn't careful her father would use all the hot water, and her mum would make her have a shower no matter what the temperature of the water was.

"ok mum…but…don't be weird ok?"

"oh don't look at me like that Chihiro…Haku will be fine"

Chihiro raised an eyebrow at Haku, but left them to it

As she came down the stairs to breakfast Chihiro had to take a moment to recognise him.

"woah…"

xXx

"well Chihiro, I tried to find something that would be alright until we could get him some uniform this afternoon…" Yuko began, but she soon noticed that neither were listening, and so just left them to stare at each other for a while.

xXx

Chihiro was growing increasingly nervous as she stood at the school gate.

"it's ok Chihiro" Haku squeezed her hand "if anything it should be me who is frightened"

"are you?" she whispered, not trusting her own voice.

"not in the same way you are"

"huh?"

"well…I'm apprehensive of a new experience, but you go through it nearly every day, so it shouldn't be too hard to get the hang of. But, I'm more afraid that I wont see you for the rest of the day, and what might happen to you if I'm not there."

Chihiro whimpered and moved closer to him, squeezing his hand so tight he was actually afraid his fingers may start going blue when…

"CHIHIRO!"

The scream was heard even above the crowd of teenagers.

'let me guess…that's Rumi" he smiled as the teenager bowled Chihiro over.

"gasp…Rumi…cant…breathe…"

Haku picked them both up and set them upright, which is when Rumi, of course, noticed the handsome youth standing next to her best friend.

Her eyes boggled.

'woah…'

When Chihiro had finally finished brushing herself off she giggled at her friends fantastic goldfish imitation.

"Chihiro! This is NOT funny!" Haku whispered from the side of his mouth "do something!"

So Chihiro took her by the arm and shook her until she came to. Immediately Rumi went bright red and whirled around to face her friend.

"Rumi, I want yo to meet Kohaku, Haku, this is Rumi"

"I thought so" smiled Haku, holding out his hand "nice to meet you Rumi"

"hi" she squeaked, shaking it

"Rumi? Can I talk to you for a second?"

"sure…" she said weakly, and allowed Chihiro to steer her away. Once out of sight of Haku, Rumi seemed to come to her senses.

"oh my god Chihiro…oh my god…have you EVER seen such a…such a…" she noticed Chihiro's face, which had puckered into a frown.

"how do you know him?" leaning forward conspiratorially she said "is he why you didn't come on Wednesday?"

"well…"

xXx

Everyone seemed to have the same reaction to Haku. He was followed by stares and gaping mouths all day, which he found very unnerving.

"Chihiro…I have to get out of here!" he said in a panicked whisper as they ate their lunch

"What?"

"I cant take this anymore!…I'm gonna go crazy if I don't get outside"

"ok umm… HEY why don't we go sit by the oval" she said meaningfully to the group, stopping them mid-discussion.

"hey yeah awesome idea!" said Arisu brightly "you alright Haku? You just look a bit green"

Chihiro smiled to herself as she weaved her way between the tables.

xXx

Haku breathed a sigh of relief as he sat down on a log by the wide open space.

'finally…away from all those eyes…'

he smiled as the girls got into a roaring argument over who was better; Jack or Will.

Of course he had never heard of either of them, by the sound of their names they were completely foreign, but it was so funny to hear them get so worked up over two men who were probably at least twenty years older than them.

The voices of Rumi and Chihiro rose far above the rest, and soon everyone was watching the tennis match of words.

"jack"

"will"

"Jack!"

"Will!"

"JACK"

"WILL"

"JACK!!!"

"WILL!!!"

As soon as the two paused for breath Haku leaned over to Chihiro. In a voice of mock-hurt he whispered "Chihiro! What bout me?!"

Chihiro went beetroot and stared at the ground, not speaking.

Emiko coughed and looked up at the sky, a small smile playing across her face.

"what's so funny Emi?" said Myomi, who hadn't yet noticed the colour of Chihiro's face.

"nothing" replied Emiko softly.

Haku felt the mood change instantly. Everyones' attention was focused on Emiko.

"what?" she blinked "aw c'mon guys you don't have to get all thingy over me every time I say 'nothing' "

"oh but Emi…"

* * *

_**yeah its short, but at leat u got a chapter eh:p**_

_**no reveiws create longer waiting time**_

_**untill next time!**_

_**x**_


	6. Authors Note

Hey everybody

Now as you have _probably_ figured out by the length that this story goes between updates, i am an awful procrastinator.

I am here to confirm that this story is on hiatus, at least until exams are over, and probably won't ever be finished.

Sorry to all, but i do not have any time for this anymore, especially with exams and everything so close (5 weeks!!).  
Many chapters are written by hand in a sketchbook, but i have yet to type up and edit them.

Thankyou sooo much for all of your wonderful reviews. If you flame me i wont blame you, I deserve it for being such a shoddy authouress.

much love

_xxx mo_


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